A federal appeals court upheld a lower court’s ruling that Louisiana’s legislative maps directly violate the Voting Rights Act and dilute the voting power of Black citizens in the state.

The Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals agreed that the maps unfairly divide communities into state districts with the aim of diluting their voting power and denying them an equal chance to elect preferred candidates.

The decision is part of the Nairne v. Landry case, launched by Black residents who sued the state over redistricting plans that state lawmakers introduced in 2022, which showed that the new congressional lines for Senate and House of Representatives districts did not increase the number of Black majority seats.

The lawsuit charged the state legislature with racial gerrymandering, arguing t

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